Chapter 257: Ch257: Plan B

The three of them exchanged glances, each silently acknowledging Daniel’s idea.

"Hm... we could do that," Jamson said, giving a slight nod.

"You guys go, I don’t think it’s a good plan," Kyle said, his eyes shifting toward Isabella.

Harley swept his gaze across the three of them before a faint grin appeared on his face. "If I’m getting to fight, I’m in."

With that, the four of them accepted the challenge.

"Now that’s what I like to hear. Once those guys finish their battle, we’ll go next," Isabella said.

The moment she turned away from them, the corners of her lips curled into a smile, and eyes slowly swept over her side.

Five against four.

She only needed to choose the right three. Her gaze swept across the group before settling on Luke (the chubby guy) and two muscular men standing nearby.

Perfect.

Meanwhile, Daniel and his team stood at the edge of the battlefield. All of them knew what they had to achieve. Not the win, but something Isabella would never see coming.

The ongoing battle finally came to an end. The fighters stepped away, clearing the battlefield.

Daniel and the others walked onto the arena. Four versus four. Isabella stepped forward with the chubby man and the two muscular men beside her.

The rules were simple: Whoever defeated all the members of the opposing team would be declared the winner.

One by one, lightning users gathered around the battlefield. Some leaned against the walls. Others stood with their arms crossed, their eyes fixed on the eight fighters.

No cheers. No shouting. No one even bothered to make a sound. The crowd simply watched as the tension slowly building between them.

The battle was about to begin.

Even those who had been practicing with training dummies paused what they were doing and walked over to the battlefield.

One-on-one matches were common here. Two-on-two fights were rarer, where teamwork could make all the difference. Three-on-three matches were barely seen, as they required much greater coordination.

But four versus four?

That was something else entirely.

The crowd could tell just by looking at them that neither team had trained together for a fight like this, and with so many people on the battlefield, individual strength alone wouldn’t be enough.

They would need teamwork. Coordination. And the ability to fight as a unit. For the spectators, that made this battle far more interesting than the usual spars.

"Ready?!" Isabella asked, her tone filled with confidence.

"Ready!" Daniel replied, his tone serious.

In an instant, a bolt of lightning ripped across the battlefield toward Daniel and Tristan, who stood at the front, while Harley and Jamson remained behind them.

*BzZAP*

Their lightning collided midair. Sparks burst in every direction as the opposing attacks pushed against each other for a brief moment.

Then, without hesitation, all eight fighters scattered.

They rushed behind nearby stones and crouched low, using them as cover.

Daniel, Tristan, Harley, and Jamson exchanged quick glances and gave a small nod. That was all they needed. Lightning immediately surged through their bodies and gathered in their right palms.

All four turned toward the same target.

Isabella.

She had barely ducked behind a large rock when four bolts shot toward her position.

*BooM! BoOM! bOoM! BOOM!*

The battlefield shook. The rock exploded beneath the combined assault, chunks of stone flying through the air as dust swallowed the area.

Luke and the other men froze for a moment, staring at the destruction. They hadn’t even had time to react. As the dust slowly cleared, Isabella appeared through the haze.

She was down on one knee. One hand pressed against the ground while the other clutched her side. Her breathing was heavy, and her body trembled as she forced herself upright.

But she couldn’t hide the damage.

Isabella was hurt.

"Yes," Daniel whispered under his breath, his eyes narrowed.

Lightning crawled across his fingers as he raised his hand toward Isabella.

*BzZAP!*

Before he could fire, a bolt slammed into his attack from the side, knocking it off course. One of the muscular men had intervened.

At the same time, Luke hurried toward Isabella and reached out his hand. But Isabella slapped it away and forced herself upright.

"I can get up by myself," she said, a sharp look flashing across her face as she finally understood their plan.

From the very beginning, Daniel’s team hadn’t cared about winning the opening exchange. They had chosen a target.

Her.

Their goal was to eliminate one member as quickly as possible and reduce the fight before it could properly begin. And it had almost worked. But Isabella had reacted in time.

The moment the attack came, she had ducked behind the rock, and the stone had absorbed most of the impact. If she had remained in the open, she would have been taken out immediately.

Then it would’ve become three against four. A clear advantage for Daniel’s team.

"Tch..." Isabella wiped the dust from the corner of her mouth and glared toward her opponents. "Such a dirty trick."

Lightning began crawling across her arms. Her fingers tightened into fists as she prepared to strike back.

"Luke, protect me," she commanded before hurling a Third Form of lightning at them at blinding speed.

"...And yes, their plan failed. What are they going to do now?" Kyle thought, standing in the corners as a spectator.

A fierce clash of lightning erupted across the battlefield. The stone covers were slowly chipped away with every hit.

"Any plans?" Jamson asked, quickly moving beside Daniel.

"Yes, Plan B," Daniel replied before unleashing another bolt of lightning.

"What?!" Harley exclaimed, his tone urgent.

"Do your thing," Daniel said before moving to a different stone to shield himself, changing his position.

Just then, a wide net of lightning was thrown toward Tristan’s stone cover. He was caught — not by one, but by two lightning nets. His body was trapped, leaving him unable to move for a second.

But that was all they needed to make their move.

Instead of blowing up the cover, they struck at the corners.

*BOOM! BOOM!*

Dust blew from the ground, spreading into a thick cloud and covering the battlefield as they approached for close combat.

"Aaa!"

Tristan’s scream echoed through the battlefield.

Daniel, Harley, and Jamson’s eyes widened as they heard it. They wanted to unleash their attacks, but there was a risk of hitting Tristan.

...

As the dust slowly settled, Tristan was seen knocked to the ground.

"Tristan!" Daniel shouted.